Dehumidifying Your Gun Safe: What You Need to Know

Purchasing a gun safe is an incredible way to ensure that your firearms remain safe and secure within your home. While a gun safe is equipped to withstand force and high temperatures, it can’t always protect your guns from moisture.

Pervasive humidity in the surrounding air can seep into your safe, gradually causing rust, corrosion, and mildew on both metal and wooden components. It’s crucial to make sure that you address this by using an effective dehumidifier for your gun safe.

A dehumidifying unit allows you to defend your investment from damage beyond theft and fire, so you don’t have to worry about the long-term threat of dampness.

Why Does Your Gun Safe Need a Dehumidifier?

While dehumidifiers are particularly crucial for firearm owners living in the more moisture-exposed states of America, they should be used by firearm owners in all regions. Over time, water can slowly destroy both your safe and its contents, no matter how minimal the exposure might seem. Many gun safes are locked away in dark, damp spaces, which make them an ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew.

If you live in a humid environment, your safe will eventually begin to gather moisture, no matter how careful you are about looking after it. A dehumidifier is vital for prolonging the life of your safe. If you’re going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the right safe for your firearm, tacking on the cost for moisture protection is a worthwhile investment.

There are two main types of dehumidifiers available on the market today: desiccant dehumidifiers and electric dehumidifiers. Before you choose which one is right for you, read below to understand your options.

What are Desiccant Dehumidifiers?

Desiccant dehumidifiers protect your safe from moisture without using any electrical components. While they come in many shapes and styles, they’re often containers or packets that hold special, absorbent materials, designed to draw moisture from inside the safe like a sponge.

Silica-gel based products are generally the ideal choice for those who don’t want to use electricity or drill holes into their safe. These products don’t require replacement parts, and they’re often available in a range of sizes to suit your specific safe model. Some are even made of steel for long-term durability.

As the more affordable of the two categories, desiccant dehumidifiers work well for those on a budget. Simply place one or two packets within your safe and let them do their job — however, you will need to replace your humidifiers over time as their absorbent abilities diminish.

What Are Electric Dehumidifiers?

Electric dehumidifiers are one of the most popular options for safe owners. As the higher-end and more luxurious solution for moisture protection, electric models are ideal for those who live in humid climates or who simply want to invest more in caring for their safe. Electric dehumidifiers use heat to remove moisture from within your safe. An exposed heating element evaporates moisture, without risking the safety of the contents inside your safe.

Electrical dehumidifiers prevent condensation thanks to the high temperatures created by the electric heating element, and this means that it’s possible to get rid of excess moisture that desiccant options may miss. Many regard electrical dehumidifiers to be the better of the two options, though you should note that you’ll likely need to drill a hole into your safe in order to connect the system to an external power source.

If drilling a hole isn’t possible, there are some rechargeable electric products on the market — but they tend to be smaller, which means they aren’t ideal for larger firearm safes.

Choosing Your Dehumidifier

Ultimately, both desiccant and electrical dehumidifiers perform the same task, so you should be able to improve the durability of your gun container with either choice. If you have the means, the electric dehumidifier is considered by many firearm owners to be the more effective choice.

Remember to check the size of your safe and read the instructions to get a better idea of which dehumidifier might work best for you. Don’t run the risk of storing guns and ammo without a dehumidifier — not only could this damage the safe that keeps your firearm secure, but it can also cause severe damage to your expensive firearms.